Super Bowl Technology

One of the biggest technology stories surrounding Super Bowl XXXVII was the security measures used to spot disruptive activity and terrorists. The massive network of cameras that was used to monitor the entire stadium is described in this story (1). It also discusses police operations, face recognition systems, and entrance sensors. The Houston Texans were not in the Super Bowl for 2003, but their stadium is certainly classified as hi-tech. The Reliant Stadium (2) is the first in the NFL to have a retractable roof. Its homepage has a construction archive, facts and figures, and a 3D virtual tour of sixteen different locations in the stadium. Although not specific to the Super Bowl, a sophisticated software application was used by several teams over the course of the season to analyze and predict the opponent team's next play. According to this article from TechTV (3), the software uses "measured probabilities" to determine the most likely call. Many people should remember Eyevision, a technology that allowed replays to be shown from a 360 degree viewing angle. This is the homepage (4) of the Carnegie Mellon University research center that developed the system. Several videos demonstrating the technology are given, as well as a basic description of its operation. Head injuries are some of the most devastating occurrences in football, but new research in helmet technology is outlined on this site (5). Dubbed the Revolution helmet, it is the first major change in helmet design in about 25 years. One Super Bowl first featured in the 2003 broadcast was the helmet microphone. John Lynch and Jerry Rice were equipped with the listening devices, but Rice removed his after halftime. The microphone, discussed in this news article (6), provided an interesting glimpse into inter-player conversations and attitudes. Even tickets to the Super Bowl were hi-tech (7). In order to prevent counterfeiting, special holographic paper was used to print the tickets. A now eight-year old tradition, which pits two players from opposing teams in a video game simulation of the Super Bowl, has maintained a perfect 8-0 record. The outcome of the Game Before the Game, as it is called, is summarized in this article (8).